Punjabi Culture

Punjabi Culture is the culture of the Punjab region. It is one of the oldest in world history, dating from ancient antiquity to the modern era. The Punjabi culture is the culture of the Punjabi people who are now distributed throughout the world. The scope, history, sophistication and complexity of the culture are vast. Some of the main areas include Punjabi Philosophy, poetry, spirituality, education, artistry, music, cuisine, science, technology, military warfare, architecture, traditions, values and history.



Middle Ages
The Shalimar Gardens in Lahore
Middle Ages Punjabi Culture, during the period of foreign invasions, saw the already very high number of layers and complexity of the Punjabi Culture increase to another level.During this time contributions from Greek, Persian, Mongol and Afghan influences were incorporated into the Punjabi culture.

Modern era
Due to the large number of Punjabi People distributed throughout the world, especially Pakistan and India, many people are increasingly experiencing the culture and becoming influenced by it. Traditional Punjabi culture is being strengthened and expanded in the Western world (e.g. U.S., UK, EU, Canada, Australia etc.), the scope is huge, ranging from Punjabi Philosophy, poetry, spirituality, education, artistry, music, cuisine, architecture etc.[citation needed]



Bhangra tournament concert
People of different languages, cultures, customs and races came to Punjab for various reasons. These immigrants influenced and were influenced by Punjabi culture.[citation needed]

[edit]Punjabi music

See also: Music of Punjab
Bhangra is one of the many Punjabi musical art forms that is increasingly being listened to in the west and is becoming a mainstream favourite.[citation needed] Punjabi music is being used by western musicians, in many ways, such as mixing it with other compositions to produce award-winning music.[citation needed] In addition, Punjabi Classical music is increasingly becoming popular in the west.

Punjabi cuisine

See also: Punjabi cuisine
Punjabi cuisine has an immense range of dishes and has become world-leader in the field; so much so that many entrepreneurs that have invested in the sector have built large personal fortunes due to popularity of Punjabi Cuisine throughout the world.[citation needed] "Sarso ka saag" and "Maki ki roti" are examples of well known dishes.cchole- bature are also famous dishes from punjab cuisine

Punjabi literature

See also: Punjabi Kisse
Punjabi Poetry is renowned for its deep meaning, beautiful, exciting and hopeful use of words.[citation needed] The poetry is one of the clearest views into the Punjabi mindset. Many works are being translated throughout the world into many languages. Famous Punjabi poets.

Punjabi dances

See also: Punjabi dance
Owing to the long history of the Punjabi culture and of the Punjabi people there is a large number of dances, normally performed at times of celebration, including harvests, festivals, and weddings. The particular background of the dances can be non-religious and religious. The overall style can range from the high energy "Bhangra" men's dance to the more reserved "Jhumar," the "Gidha" women's dance.

Punjabi wedding traditions

See also: Punjabi wedding traditions
Punjabi wedding traditions and ceremonies are traditionally conducted in Punjabi and are a strong reflection of Punjabi culture. While the actual religious marriage ceremony among Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains may be conducted in Arabic, Punjabi, Sanskrit, by the Qazi, Pundit, Granthi or Priest, there are commonalities in ritual, song, dance, food, dress. The Punjabi wedding has many rituals and ceremonies that have evolved since traditional times.

Sindh Culture

 The culture of Sindh ( سنڌي سڀيتا ) has its roots in the Indus Valley Civilization. Sindh has been shaped by the geography of the largely desert region, the natural resources it had available and the continuous foreign influences. The Indus or Sindhu River that passes through the land, and the Arabian Sea (that defines its borders) also supported the seafaring traditions among the local people. The local climate also reflects why the Sindhis have the language, folklore, traditions, customs and lifestyle that are so different from the neighbouring regions.Sindhi culture is also practiced by the Sindhi diaspora.

 The roots of Sindhi culture and civilization go back to the distant past. Archaeological researches during 19th and 20th centuries showed the roots of social life, religion and culture of the people of the Sindh: their agricultural practices, traditional arts and crafts, customs and tradition and other parts of social life, going back to a ripe and mature Indus valley civilization of the third millennium BC. Recent researches have traced the Indus valley civilization to even earlier ancestry.

Archaeological discoveries

Mohenjo-daro

Archaeological discoveries sometimes help to unfold the certain latent aspects of a specificculture. The excavations of Mohenjo-daro have unfolded the city life of a civilization of people with values, a distinct identity and culture. Therefore, the first definition of the Sindhi culture emanates from that over the 7000-year-old Indus Valley Civilization. This is the pre-Aryan period, about 3,000 years BC., when the urban civilization in Sindh was at its peak.

Ranikot Fort

In Sir Mortimer Wheeler's book,Civilization of the Indus Valley and Beyond, it is said that; "Civilization, in a minimum sense of the term, is the art of living in towns, with all that the condition implies in respect of social skills and disciplines." When people speak of Sindhi civilization, they have to concern themselves, mainly with the material and concrete side of human habitation of which Sindhi culture is the only essence called the superstructure.The present day Sindh, along with the Northern part of the Indus Valley Civilization (around 3000 to 2500 BC) is located on its urban civilization.

Ranikot Fort is also a landmark of the Indus valley civilization. It is the world's largest fort, with walls extending to 20 km. It has been called a "second Wall of China", and it attracts many visitors.

Sindhi language is an ancient language spoken in Pakistan and many other parts of the world. It is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by approximately 41 million people in Pakistan, and 12 million people in India; it is the second most spoken language of Pakistan, mostly spoken in the Sindh province. It is a recognized official language in Pakistan, and also an official language in India. Government of Pakistan issues National Identity Cards to its citizens only in two languages; Sindhi and Urdu.

History

Sindhi language is ancient and rich in literature. Its writers have contributed extensively in various forms of literature in both poetry and prose. Sindhi literature is very rich, and is one of the world's oldest literatures. The earliest reference to Sindhi literature is contained in the writings of Arab historians. It is established that Sindhi was the first Eastern language into the Quran, when it was translated in the 8th or 9th century. There is evidence of Sindhi poets reciting their verses before the Muslim Caliphs in Baghdad. It is also recorded that treatises were written in Sindhi on astronomy, medicine and history during the 8th and 9th centuries.

Poetry

Sindhi poetry is also prominent in Sindhi culture. Poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. Sachal Sarmast is very famous amongst all of Pakistanis. Regional poets are Shaikh Ayaz, Ustaad Bhukhari, Ahmed Khan MAdhoosh, Adal Soomro, Ayaz Gul, Abdul Ghaffar Tabasum, G.N.Qureshi, Rukhsana Preet, Waseem Soomro. Many Sindhi poets are doing their poetry work continuously.

Music

Main article: Sindhi music

Sindhi music has its own unique quality. It is performed in many different ways.Sufi music is performed at shrines, and other simple music is performed atstudios and gatherings.

Cultural character

The ancient Sindhi civilization was the place, where the aesthetic utilization of leisure was freely indulged. There has been evidence, that the excavations of sites dating back to 3000 BC (all over Sindh) is also true, around 1200 years ago when Jaina Dakshiniya Chihna (778 AD) described the distinguished features of Sindhis in this way: "Elegant, with a lovely, soft and slow gait, they are fond of the art of Gandharvas (that is, songs, music and dancing) and full affection towards their country."
Sindhis celebrate Sindh Cultural day world wide on 6 December by wearing Ajrak & Sindhi Topi on that occasion.

Pakistan Hockey Team

Pakistan hockey team has defeated World Champions Germany by 2-1 in the first quarter final of the FIH (Federation of International Hockey) Champions Trophy at the State Netball Hockey Centre in Melbourne, Australia, qualifying for Semi-Final of the grand event for the first time since 2004.

In the backdrop of three goals in as many outings and almost a dozen misses, Pakistan coaches worked all morning Tuesday to make players realize their mistakes. Both the goals by Pakistan were scored by centre forward Shakeel Abbasi.

Germany took the initial lead as German captain Mo Fuerste gives Germany the 1-0 lead nine minutes into action. Pakistan did not manage to put the ball into the nets during the first half until Abbasi strikes two back to back goals for Pakistan in the second half.

The Green-Shirts missed several chances, including three penalty corners, to better the scoreline but held on to beat the much higher placed opponents. This was Pakistan’s only second win in the tournament, after losing against Australia and Netherlands but won against Belgium to ensure a quarterfinal spot.

Earlier, Germany came from behind on Monday to upset India in the last Pool-A match. German coach Markus Weise was all praise for the Pakistan team when he talked to the reporters here at the State Netball Centre

The Champions Trophy Hockey is witnessing the quarter-final stage for the very first time. The format has been changed to keep teams’ interest alive. Besides a place in the semis, the victory over Germany has included Pakistan directly into next year’s Champions Trophy.

In another quarter-final on Thursday, Australia will be looking to beat England to keep themselves on the road for the record thirteenth Champions Trophy title. Pakistan will play winner either Netherland or New Zealand in the grand Final.


History

Hockey was originally brought to Pakistan under British rule, and like cricket soon became popular with the local population.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation came into being in 1948, following the independence and partition into Pakistan and India. Prior to this, players from what is now Pakistan had competed internationally alongside players from what is now India. In the beginning, the Federation's membership included the Provincial Hockey/Sports Associations of West Punjab, East Bengal, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Bahawalpur & Services Sports Board. Pakistan played their first international in London when they defeated Belgium 2-1 in 14th Olympic Games hockey tournament on 2 August 1948.

The first President of PHF was Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan with Baseer Ali Sheikh as Honorary Secretary. The Pakistan national side soon established a strong reputation in international competition, helping to maintain interest in the game in Pakistan which assisted the growth of the Federation. However, no full-time central office or secretariat, as such, was established until the 1960s.

The office of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, located in Gaddafi Cricket Stadium, Lahore, was developed into a Secretariat in 1971. It was during the second term as president of Air Marshal M. Nur Khan from 1978 that Pakistani hockey entered something of a golden age. National Senior, National Junior and Women Hockey Teams were all competing internationally, increasing the work load of PHF Office and secretary Brigadier M.H.Atif tremendously.

On the personal initiative of Air Marshal M. Nur Khan, the FIH introduced the World Cup Tournament and the Champions Trophy Tournament, which are now rated amongst the major international tournaments, alongside the Olympics. At this time, Pakistan held all the major titles in men's international hockey.

However, the 1976 Olympics in Montreal had seen the introduction of artificial turf to international hockey competition. Pakistan was unable to build as many of the new pitches as the European nations or Australia and New Zealand and so the strength of the national side declined. It was after a lapse of 12 years that the Pakistan Hockey Team again started climbing and won the Champions Trophy and the World Cup with Air Vice Marshal Farooq Umar as president and Colonel Mudassar as secretary of the Federation.